Fruit picker&#39;s bucket



Sept. 6, 1932. R. c. FREIMANN ET AL FRUIT PICKERS BUCKET Filed Nov. 12,1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l ffarymondCfieiz zgzzk E a1! E UCU? gMK? P 1932- R.c. FREIMANN ET AL 1,875,585

FRUIT PICKERS BUCKET Filed NOV. 12. 1930 2 Sheetssheet 2 I ZlwuentozRaymozzaCfiemmm Earl E [/0125 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 umren STATES RATcreme F RAYMOND C. FREIMANN, OF TIETON, AND EARL EVANS, 'OF YZAKI-MZA.COUNTY,

' WASHINGTON I FRUIT moxnn's BUCKET *A ncaimi filed November 12,1930.Serial No. 495,171.

Our invention relates to friut-picking buckets, such as are commonlyused by pickers of tree fruits, for instance, apples. It will be founduseful in the picking of other such fruits. t y

Apples are 'pickedby pickerswho are paid by the box, and whose interest,therefore, is

in pickingas many apples as possible in-a given time. In picking theystand upon ladders and carry buckets slung over their shoulders, intowhich the fruit is placed, and from which it is discharged when full.Thepicker is desirous of picking as long as possible before he must goto the collecting point to unload his bucket, and therefore requires abucket of considerable capacity, but'ithas been found that, with bucketsof suflicient capacity, the tendency of the picker is to drop the fruitinto the bucket, rather than to take the time to reach down to thebottom of the bucket when it is empty or nearly so, with the result thatthe apples strike one another and are bruised, or have their skinspunctured by the stems of other applesfalling upon them. Thisconsiderably reduces the grade of the apple, and results in an economic.loss.

The object of our invention, therefore, is to provide a bucket for theuse of such pickers,which shall, when empty, be of such shallow depththat it is an .easy matter for the picker, without loss'of time, to laythe fruit upon the bottom, and in which the bottom recedes under theWeight of the fruit accumulating in the bucket, so that at all times,

the level where the fruit is to be placed is also an object to combinewithsuch a bucket thefabric chute which is *customary'in connection withfruit buckets or fruit-picking bags, whereby the bucket may bedischarged through thet bottorn with the minimum of terminate "the same.

In the accompanying drawings We have shown our invention embodied in aform which we now prefer, it being understood that various changes maybe made in the form and arrangement of the parts within the scope of theappended claims,a nd withoutdeparting from thespirit of our'inven tion.i I

Figure 1 isa plan view ofour bucket. Figure 2 is aIpartial frontelevation and partial section on a vertical plane, taken from 70 sideto. side of'the bucket, showing the manner of placing fruit therein whenthebucket is nearly empty.

'-Figure 3 7 showing 'how the parts of the bucket will be extended asthe fruit collects therein.

Figure s is a section from front to rear through the bottom of thebucketand theassociated chute or bottom.

- Figure 5 is a section through one end of a modified form of thebucket. s i

Essentially,our bucket consists of two telescoping sleeves, 1 and '2.These are so .ar ranged that they. may be telescoped' into the positionshown in Figure 2, where oneis alongside the other and the {depth of thebucket 'is substantially fhalf the depth of the standard'bucket, thatis, the depth of! one section only. As guide means, and to prevent thebucket 2,-which isthe'lowermost, 9b

is a view similar to Figure 2,, I

50 a carefully upon the bottom, or upon the fruit i but not until thebucket is substantially filled from slipping off from the bucket 1,complemental flanges 10'and 20 may be provided, these acting asstopswhen the buckets are extended. The extended position of parts is shownin Figure 3.

Means to suspend the bucket from the shoulder of the picker are securedto the is secured to the lower edge of the lower section 2, the securingmeans belng indlcated by lacing 42. To enabl'e'the closing of this chuteto constitute a bottom, a drawstring 40 may be threaded through rings 41in the lower edge of the chute 4, andsecuring rings 44: may be employed,thesebeing adapted to engage over ahook 24, upon the lower 7 section2,'by means of whichthe drawstring 40 may be held drawn tight, and thechute held up so that apples may not escape through the chute until thehooked securii'igrings Hare released.

To hold the two sleeves telescoped, one within the other, under normalconditions, that is, when the bucket is empty, we provide an extensionspring or springs 5, one

endvof which is secured to the upper edgeof the upper section 1', asindicated at 51, and

upper section 1, there may be a flexible liner the opposite end of whichis secured to the loweredge of the lowersection 2, as indicated at 52.To protect this spring, it may be surrounded by telescoping tubularguards 50.' i V I The strength of the springs 5 is so calcu lated thatthe bottom 4 of the bucket will be held at about the levelotf the loweredge of the upper sleeve 1 when the bucket is empty or when thereis'only a small amount ,0 fruit therein, as may be seen-in Figure 2.This bottom then is within easy reach of the picker, who extends his armthrough the open top of thelbucket, and laysthe fruit which covers thebottom As the weight of fruit increases, the springs 5 will be extended,the top level of fruit maycreep somewhat closer to the top edge of theupper section 1,

with fruit, as'seen in Figure 3, will the springs and the telescopingsections be fully extended, to the dept of the standard fruit-pickingbucket, i

To protect the fruit from contact, with the metal of which the sleevesare made and from contact with the lower p edge of the inner,

45 secured to theupper edge of the inner sec tion, as indicated by thelacing 4:6, and secured to the lower edge of the lower section 2, but ofsuch length as to permit full extension of the two sections. It isconvenient to form this liner and the bottom 4 of one integral piece,and in consequence, the lacing a2 will serve a dual purpose,'to hold thelower edge of the liner 45 and to supportthe bottom or chute 4 from thebucket section 2. This liner assist the stops 10 and 20 to prevent undueextension of the sections.

In Figure 5, the upper section 1 is shown as the outer of the twosections, and the section 2, which is the lower section when the bucketis extended, lies inside of the section l',. In this form the liner 45,in addition to being secured at 46 and at 42, is secured between thesepoints to the'upper edge of the lower section 2, thus taking up some ofthe accumulation of-"fo-ldswhich will gather at the bottomof the bucketwhen in the position of Figure 2. Such'intermediate securing means isindicated by the spring-retaining hoop 47. v

l/Vhat'we claim as our invention is: v 1. A fruit pickers bucketcomprising two or more telescoping sleeves, suspending means secured tothe upper sleeve, a releasable bottom secured to the lower sleeve, andspring means normally holding the sleeves telescoped, but yieldableunder the weight of fruit supported froln'the bottom to permit extensionof the lower section below the upper;

2. A fruit pickers bucket comprising two telescopingsleeves ofsubstantially half the standard depth, suspending -means' secured to theupper sleeve, a releasable bottom secured to the lower sleeve, springmeans nor lnally holding the sleeves teles'coped, but

yieldable under the weight of fruit supported upon the bottom to permitextension of the lower section below the upper to a combined depthsubstantially that of a standard bucket and fiexible protective linerextending from the top of the upper sleeve to the bottom of the lowersleeve, when the sleeves are extended. w

3. A fruit pickers bucket comprising two telescoping sleeves, suspendingmeans secured to the upper 'sleeve,. a fabric liner secured to the upperedge of the upper section and tothe lower edge of the lower section,said liner extending throughthe sleeves and of a length to permit theirfull extension, and terminat ing beneath the connection to the lowersleeve in an open-ended chute,m'eans-for closing ,said chute to form afruit-supporting'botultimatefull extension of the sleeves under theweight of fruit therein. 1

4. fruitpickers bucket comprising two sleeves telescoping one inside theother,i a sling secured to-the inner sleeve,an open-end; ed fabricchutesecured to thelower edge of the outer sleeve, a, draw string toclose the chute, means upon the outer sleeve to hold said string drawnup, and spring means normally holding the sleeves teleseoped, butyieldable to permit ultimate full extension of the sleeves under theweight of fruit resting upon'the closed chute.

Signed at Tieton, Yakima County, Washington, this 7th day of November,1930;

RAYMOND C. FREIMANN. EARL EVANS.

